AMI Asset Management Corp Decreases Stock Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

AMI Asset Management Corp reduced its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 4.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 173,803 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 8,857 shares during the period. West Pharmaceutical Services accounts for about 2.3% of AMI Asset Management Corp's investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. AMI Asset Management Corp owned about 0.24% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $38,911,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at $231,000. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 150.9% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 34.2% during the fourth quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 4,116 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,348,000 after buying an additional 1,049 shares during the period. FFT Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth about $593,000. Finally, LGL Partners LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter worth about $213,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Stephens raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Barclays began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 price target on the stock. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $320.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.6%

WST traded down $1.43 during trading on Thursday, hitting $219.59. 657,739 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 728,049. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $187.43 and a 1 year high of $352.33. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $214.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $254.90. The firm has a market cap of $15.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.48 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 2.77, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.23. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.13% and a return on equity of 18.23%. The business had revenue of $698.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $685.24 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.56 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 30th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.38%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.19%.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company Profile

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc designs, manufactures, and sells containment and delivery systems for injectable drugs and healthcare products in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It operates in two segments, Proprietary Products and Contract-Manufactured Products.